Ken Wiggins is always ready to take a road trip for a good comic book convention.

When the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2) hits McCormick Place each March, he can be found there with his crew — including longtime buddy Bruce, comics dealer Chuck and Spider, a movie theater worker he befriended over talks about Marvel and DC movies. They stride through the vendor area to scope for the latest comic- or sci-fi-themed apparel or collectible; check the Artist Alley section for artwork; or wait in lines for cosplayer events, celebrity photos and autographs and panel discussions featuring comic creators and movie and television stars.

"The thing about the lines is it's made up of cool people. You end up making friends with everybody around you," he said. "You start talking to them about their favorite characters. People are always willing to chat and have a good time."

Those new friends are more likely to be a quarter to one half his age.

Wiggins is 62.

The Saukville, Wis., truck driver is among a growing demographic at comic and pop culture conventions, older comic geeks eager to connect with others in fandom and spend money on items that weren't available during their youth.

They're rolling to shows in three- and four-man teams, with nary a grandkid in sight, and leaving with pricey Batman varsity jackets and $1,000 comic books.

C2E2 this year saw a 60 percent increase in the number of attendees over age 55, said Mike Armstrong, event director for Connecticut-based ReedPOP, which produces the show, as well as New York Comic Con and BookCon.

The demographic growth for the 70,000-attendee, three-day event is surprising, he said.

"It's maybe a segment that we haven't had too much of a focus on in our markets," Armstrong said.

But vendors notice. Those attendees are better spenders, they say.

Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune

John Mefford, 68, dressed as "Star Wars" character Boba Fett, and his friend Rachel Dixon, 68, dressed as a "Star Wars" Jedi Knight, both of Granite City, Ill., shop at a booth at the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo, better known as C2E2, at McCormick Place on March 18, 2016, in Chicago. 2016’s C2E2 saw a 60 percent increase in the number of attendees over age 55, said a show official said.

John Mefford, 68, dressed as "Star Wars" character Boba Fett, and his friend Rachel Dixon, 68, dressed as a "Star Wars" Jedi Knight, both of Granite City, Ill., shop at a booth at the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo, better known as C2E2, at McCormick Place on March 18, 2016, in Chicago. 2016’s C2E2 saw a 60 percent increase in the number of attendees over age 55, said a show official said. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)

"They're buying anything comics-related; graphic novels, action figures," said John Robinson, co-owner of 11-store operation Graham Crackers Comics. "They are usually spending more than others. Now they can afford to get some of those books and not feel guilty."

Wiggins, just as likely as a typical young adult to sport a Captain America T-shirt and giant TARDIS tote bag at the hip, says he spends about $200 a day easy at each convention.

And he goes to a lot.

Usually on his calendar for November is Chicago TARDIS in Lombard, where Doctor Who fans gather.

A Wizard World Madison Comic Con panel featuring most of the cast of the Netflix series "Daredevil" was among his favorites this year.

And he and his friends hit up Wizard World Chicago Comic Con each August in Rosemont.

Among his recent scores: an autographed photo with Spider-Man and Iron Man co-creator Stan Lee (which he got in two steps; taking the photo at one convention, then having it signed at another); a signed photo of James Marsters from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Torchwood," and an action figure customized with his face on Captain America's body.

The likes of Wiggins are normalizing the over-30 and out fanboy/girl.

Such was the topic of a panel "No Aging Out of Fandom" at the WisCon feminist science fiction convention in Madison, Wis., in May — aimed at older culture fans called to defend their interests.

"A lot of people feel like once you're out of your 20s, you have a full-time job, you shouldn't be into such things," said Tanya DePass, the Chicago game developer who moderated the panel. "But that's when you're old enough to appreciate it a lot more.

"Coming to fandom older makes for stronger connections," said DePass, who is in her 40s. "You have more control over the media you consume, and you're more aware of what you're consuming."

And it's because of the passions of older generations that today's fan communities exist, she said.

Older comic book fans also have a better grasp of the history of many characters that go through revisions or wholesale reboots, Wiggins said.

Wiggins attended his first pop culture convention, a "Star Trek" event in Denver, in 1994. He and his wife, now deceased, were fans.

But he started regularly going to conventions only in the past four years.

In contrast, 65-year-old Gary Colabuono attended his first convention in 1976 — a Wizard World Chicago precursor staged at the Playboy Towers Hotel — and hasn't missed one since.

Colabuono bought into the convention that would be sold to Wizard Entertainment.

Today, the retired comics dealer and his friends — Mike, 65, and Larry, 68 — go to check out the panels of players in upcoming movies.

"We go for the same reasons why all the kids go — we want to see what's going on," said Colabuono, of Arlington Heights. "I'm interested in seeing what the companies have planned for the different movies coming up.

"As boomers, we kind of feel like we're out of place," he said. "All of these TV shows have attracted audiences of people who don't care about the core product. But they love the characters. They don't care that they started in comics.

"The movies and TV shows are as important to them as the comics were to us. They love Captain America as much as we do, but from a different standpoint."

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